Israeli forces hold 100 Palestinian high school students at checkpoint in Yatta

June 9, 2016 4:54 P.M. (Updated: June 9, 2016 5:04 P.M.)

Israeli soldiers inspect a Palestinian car at a checkpoint close to the West Bank village of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, on Oct. 2, 2015 (AFP/Jaafar Ashtiyeh, File)

HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces Thursday briefly held 100 Palestinian high school students for military security searches as they tried to leave the town of Yatta in the occupied West Bank to attend final exams, as the town remained sealed by Israeli forces following a deadly shooting in Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

A military liaison official in the district of Hebron said in a statement that the high school students were allowed to cross after being held at an Israeli checkpoint for several minutes on their way to school, while military liaison officials pressured the Israelis to release them.

The liaison office reported that the students arrived safely to their exam halls.

Upon a request by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the military liaison of Hebron issued an alert for Palestinians to prepare themselves in cases of assault or violations by Israeli settlers or soldiers, as they would likely be prevented from reaching hospitals or schools at the Israeli checkpoints.

Yatta was sealed by Israeli forces following an attack in Tel Aviv which left four Israelis killed and an additional six wounded.

Israeli forces closed all entrances to Yatta following the attack, preventing Palestinians from leaving the town except for special cases, as soldiers conduct a “security assessment” of the town.

More than 200 Palestinians and close to 30 Israelis have been killed since the beginning of a wave of unrest in October in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, which has been mainly characterized by small-scale Palestinian attacks against Israeli settlers and military targets.